Overshoe for horses.



, Etnies s'e s:

G. N, KINNELL. i OVEBSHOE'IFR HORSES.

APPLIOATIUN FILED 001230, wos. 1,010,380. v

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Y George N. Krmei l,

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Patented N0v.28, 1911.

i extending beneath the tread of 4the hoof of UNITED STATES -PalaENTOFFICE.

Grinsen N. KINNELL, or rifr'rsrinnn, MASSACHUSETTS, Assienoit'ioTHEIKINNELL MANUFACTURING coMPAN-Y, or Pirisrinmi,MASSACHUSETTS, AcoRPoRAiioN or MASSACHUSETTS.

ovnnsiion FOR iro'itsns. l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. es, 1911.

Appl'caton'led )ctobei 30, 1908. Serial No. 460,336. l

. To all 'whom it may concern:

. a citizen of the United States, residing at lPittsfield, in the countyof Berkshirel and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, haveinvented new and.useful Improvements in Overshoes fr Horses and other Hoofed Animals, ofwhich the following is a full and complete specification, 'such as willenable those skilled in the art to which it appeitains to make and usethe same.

My present invention concerns a detachl able overshoe comprising a treadportion and means for securing thel same to the foot. The tread portionis preferably flexible and formed orprovidedwith means for preventingslipping of the foot on slippery surfaces. The securing means comprisesHexij bly connected members' preferably engaging onlyI the hoofedportion of the foot.` f

One part of my invention particularly* concerns the flexible tread,which preferably comprises Contact membersor bodies jointed orliexibly'connected and arranged as a pluralitylof articulated strands orcatenations a horse. or other animal, preferably as `tension membersconnected with the securing means.v The flexibility of thetreadpeimits aslightj relative movement or play of the parts, yand this, in connectionwith the'open i construction of the tread, operates tobreak up snowballs which sometimes tend to pack` in the concavity under the hoof. Therigid y bodies operate like calks flexibly secured :beneath the bearingsurfacesof the hoof or" horse shoe. Both these functionsinake thedeviceuseful either as arsiibstitute for oras a supplement to the/Qidinaryvhorse shoe' calks.A The tread members` are arranged so as notto`v injure tenderparts of the foot, the

"inner ends'fof the strands being'preferably interconnected by.

a common member spanning the frog "1' j Another `part 'of my inventir'inrconcerns the securing means whereby thetread is flexibly attachedto thefoot byA members which engage the hoof, only andI have nodirect bearingupon the skinor sensitive tissue of the foot or ankle. Said securingmeans consists of a member extendingrearwardly around the heel lofthehoof and operating to limit forward displacement, in conibination with asecond member extending diagonally over the toe, and operating to limitdownward and rearward displacement. The

rearward, forward, and upward resistances erably 'through' separateflexible or jointed connections, preferably distributed along the sidevof the hoof" near the lower margin thereof. Between adjacent treadconnections, I preferablyarrangea spreader adapt ed to maintain properspacing of the points of'treadv attachment, and means, such as .a

lever, for equalizing or distributing the vario'us stresses among theseveral members. These features are especially desirable where theAtreadvconnections are flexible or where the treadconsists of chains, or'lis otherwise deficient in stiffness.

"Having thus described the character and purpose of my invention, Iwillproceed to j describe "a specific useful form of embodiment thereofin connection withthe accomy panyiiig drawings, wherein- Figure -1 isaside view'showing a hoof lprovided with an ordinary horse shoe,` andhaving my improved tread and securing ine'ans'in place thereon; Fig.` 2v'is a perspective bottom view of the same.

The contact members jointed to form the flexible tread are shownaspshort chains 8, 1l, extending inwardly under the hoof 1 with 'theirinner ends'spaced apart by and yinterconnectedthrough' a-com'mon link5', which is relatively fiat and otherwise proportioned and y'arrangedto protect' the4 frog "10 from injury. As shown, the chain sectionsdiverge,two on each side, from the common link 5, but a greater o r lessnumber of chains may be used, and their divergence and inannerof'interconnection may be'varied. The

`ends cfchain sections 3, 4, forniliexible'connections between the treadand "securing means, and the dist-ance tn which they exrower. or wider.Tliespacingof the several points of connection of the tread Ais maintained pei'iplierally of thel hoof by "a, heel ,member 6 extendingaround'the heel of the 'hoof and adapted to` oppose forward distend upthe outer walls of thel hoof will be j greater or less accordingastlilehoofis narheel member 6, but most of them willbe found to involvethe use of a stiifening inember for spreading the flexible tread andthus spacing the outer portion of the chains 3, 4. In the particularform shown in the drawings, the'rigid members 7, 7, may be consideredequalizers as well as spreadersl` In somuch as they are levers subjectto rearward stress at the rear end, downward stress at both ends andupward and forward stress at a point above and between the ends, theytend to divide and to equalize the upward components of the diagonalstress of the toe member, between the rear members 4, 4, and

the forward members 3, 3. Pull on any one member causes the leveragetotighten other members, thereby counterbalancing any excessive strainIwhich may be localized on one of the members. Each member 7 comprises anelongated loop for the toe strap and an extension at approximately rightangles thereto, provided with an eye for the rear tread connection andfor the heel member 6. The strap loop, being approximately parallel withthe front of the toe ,permits the strap to automatically. positionitself higher up for a large hoof or lower down for a small hoof.

\ Each member 7 Vdetermines and rigidly spaces apart three separatecentersor axes of flexible attachment of the several tension members,thereby shorteningthe peripheral length and the radius of' swing of eachmember. A large rigid link at 5 has a similar advantagewith' respect tothe flexible tread.

While the above described arrangement for securing and spacing the treadconnections independentl of the presence or .absence of stiffness o thetread is useful where either tread connections ortread are flexible, itis particularly adapted for use in combination with aflexible treadadapted to afford connection between diagonally' opposite points in thebase-of the hoof. In case ofthe diverging, transverse chains shown here-1 in, the lines of transmission of stress are' through strap 9 and thetwo equalizers7, 7

thence, from the forward end of each equalacross the tread through chain3, central link 5, and chain 4 tothe rear end of the corre-Y spondingequalizer on the other side of the.-

' being taken not to.

Thus, the forward chains 3, 3, with the toe strap 9, form a toe loop,while the rear chains 4, 4 with the heel member G, form a heel loop, thetwo loops being tied together in the tread by link 5, so that the toeloop prevents rearward displacement of thc heel loop and the heel loopprevents forward dlsplacement of the toe loop. Portions of the heel loopand toe loop horizontally adjacent to each other on each side of thehoof, are lifted and drawn toward each other by a suitable take up. Thischanges the direction of pull of heel member 6, so' as to apply thestrain partly against the hoof and thus to decrease the downward strainon theJ projecting ends vof the horse shoe. The take vup is preferablythe combined spreader and equalizing lever` 7, described above.

The toe member 9, which may be' of metal, fabric or other material, isshown as a leather strap extending diagonally across the toe of the hoofand lying flat upon the curved surface of the hoof along the line ofshortest distance between its points of attachment. Thestrap ispreferably doubled through the attaching loops and the buckle l1,thereby multiplying the tightening elfect of a pull on the end of thestrap. f

The vheel'member ,6 extends' from the point 8 rearwardly about the heelof the hoof and engages both walls of the notches between the hoof andthe project-ing ends of horse.

vshoe 2, so that the pull is exerted partly on the hoof and partly onthe horse shoe..l It should stand rough usage without stretching, and4should be adapted to fit itself well down into said notches, withoutdangerof working in far enough to wedge `theshoe from the hoof. Hence, Iprefer to make it of fine quality steel chain or of flexible,non-resilient wire, masked or cushioned with a coveringfof fabric, as,for instance, heavyrbaling wire used as a `metallic core in''a heavy.sheath of stiff, closely woven cord. Such wire and fabriccovering aresufficiently. stiff and inextensible to stand the strain of practicaluse, at the same time the material of the wire and the materialof thefabric covering yare` suiiiciently non-resilient and flexible so that inuse the wire bends andthe covering becomes somewhat iattened, so thatthe heel member becomes molded to. the configuration of the surface uponwhich it bears.

In applying my'overshc'e to the hoof, the t'oe' strap 9 is loosened, thetread is arranged centrally over the lbase of the hoof, and the member 6'is seated in the notches between the hoof and the rear ends of thehorse shoe. izer, downwardly and diagonally rearward The parts are thenfitted snugly to the hoof by tightening andl buckling toe strap 9,' caredisplace the heel member 6. The connections of the several members aresuch that displacing stress or movement applied to one member operatesto tighten i is limited b'y the resultingincrease of stress diagonallyacross the tread. "Hence, though every-part ofthe device may bepermitted a certain amount of play, and though the de-l vice'as a wholeis not positively anchoredat establish considerable initialtensionamo-ng the members, 1t is practically unnecessary- .les

any point, either tothe hoof or to the horse shoe, 1the device issecurely, yet yieldingly held with all its parts in proper position withrespect to each other and to the hoof.

The tightening of strap 9 is primarily for the purpose of taking upslack sufficiently to lit the 'various members to the hoof, and thoughthe tightening may be sufficient to to continuously maintain aconditionof mutual internal stressbetweenfall partsof the device.Hence,it will be understood when I 'refer to fvarious parts of thedevice as tension members, I do not mean to imply that it is desirableto maintain all members under mutual tension, or even thatit is alwaysnecessary to take up -all slack in .every member, the word tension beingused mainly with reference 'to the stresses set up among the members `bythe violent `blows and displacing efforts to which the several parts aresubject when the device is in prac- It will-be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various additions, omissions, substitutions, andchanges in the materials,

`foi-ms, proportions and sizes of the parts and in various details-ofthe device and of its operation, mayl be made without departing from.thespirit ofmy invention.

l. An overshoe comprising Va tread, and a plurality of spaced 'exibleconnections for the tread, in combination with means independent of thetread for isecuring and spacing said-tread connections, said meansconsisting of members passing around the toe and the heel of the hoot',together with intermediate tension members applied on each side of thehoof between' said flexible connections near the lower margin of thehoof. j c

2. An overshoe ycomprising' a flexible metallic tread spanning theregion of maximum widthbn the bottom of the hoof and adapted to `affordlines of tension diagonally across said region, tread connectionsextending along such lines of tension and spaced along the outer wall ofthe hoof, spreaders for spacing the tread connections at points near thelower margin of the hoof, ndmeans' for securing said parts tothe 3; Inan overshoe of the class described,` 'securing means and a tension treadportion comprising oppositely arranged tension passing over the outersides the hoof.`

of the class described,

membersconverging forwardly from points at the sidesy of the tread inthe rear of the region of maximum width, in combinationwith means forapplying forward tension to said tension members.

4:. Inanovershoe of the class described, an open tread Yportioncomprising diagonally arranged interconnected articulated members andtread securing means lencircling the hoof around the toe and under theheel and adapt-ed to' be'secured againstv downward displacement at theheel of the hoof solely by engagement with the rear of hoof protectingmeans held in fixed relation tol the hoof by nails passing through tnolatter. v Y

5.` In an oversh'oe of the class described, a tread portion comprisingdiagonally ar ranged flexible tension members extending from sideto.side acros the hoof cavity, in

,combination with spreaders therefor located on the outer walls of thehoot` and means for securing 'said parts to the hoof, said .se-'

curing means encircling the hoof around the toe and under the heel andadapted to be held against downward displacementat the heel of the hoofsolely by engagement with the rear of hoof protectin vmeans held infixed` relation to they hoof y nails passing through the latter.

' 6. -In an overshoe for horses, etc., al lexiv .ble metallic tread andsecuring means therefor, including a toe member,and'a heel A memberextending across under, they heels' of ,the hoof, in .combination withtreadaconnections extending upwardly at the side edges ofthe hoof andarranged to cause forward stresses applied to thetread, to take effectupon the heel member only inlines 7. An overshoe comprising a flexibletoe, and a flexible heel loop, in combination with tension. equalizersbetween said loops, on each .side of the heel above the lower marginthereof, said 'loops having a connection across the frog of the hoofcomprising a flat tension member connected to both loops 1 and invtension relation therewith.

v8. An 'overshoe comprising a toe loop with yaflexibly connected treadportion, and a heel loop with a flexibly connected tread 'portion, saidloopbeingradapt'edl to be held Iagainst downward displacement.` bytherear end'of the horseshoeincombination with a tensiony take up connect'fsaid loops along, each side wall of the hol-dlg f f v 9. An .overshoecomprising a iiexible toe loop', a flexible heel loopadapted to engagethe notches between the ends ofthe horse shoe andthe heels of the hoof,and a tension.-

vconnection `between said loopsin the plane 'of the'tread and adapted inuse to exert a vforward pull on'the-heel loop and a rear wardfl tensionon. the t-oe loop.

- 210. A flexible overshoe comprising a .toe

flexible metallic tread comprising movable links intervening between thehoof and the' ground, in combination with means for spreadingsaidflexible tread and for securing it to the foot bydistributeddownward tension upon the hoof and upon theprojecting rear endsof thehorseshoe.

12. In an overshoe for horses, a tread portion and securing meansextending over the toe, in combination with rearwardly extendingyielding surfaced tension connections arranged tobe pulled forward andwedged into the notches between the heels of the hoof and of the horseshoe and to bear upon the heel portions of the horse-shoe and to be heldthereby against .downward displacement. l

' 1.3. In an overshoe for horses, a tread and a toe member, incombination-with a yielding surfaced heel member adapted to be pulledforward and wedged into the notches between the heels of the hoof andthe projecting rear ends of the horse shoe, and connections wherebyforward stress on said tread or toe member is applied to said heelmember in a. direction approximately paral,

. mg members adapted to spread the tread lel with the plane of the horseshoe.

14. In an overshoe for horses, a tread por- -tion and a toe member, incombination with a heel `member fitting itself into the notches betweenthe heels of the hoof and the pro- ]ecting rear ends of the horse shoe,said' i heel member consisting of a substantially in- Y ent metalliccore of high tensile strength extensible flexible non-resilient metalliccore masked or cushioned at points'of engagementy with said notches andadapted in use to become shaped to the configuration of the surface uponwhich it bears.

l5.- In an overshoe for horses, a tread por* tion and a toe member, incombination with a heel-member fitting itself into the notches betweenthe heels of the hoof and the projecting rear` ends of the horse shoe,said heel member comprising a flexible non-resiliprovided between thefree ends thereof with a heavy casing of woven cord fabric and adaptedin use to become shaped to the configuration of the surface upon whichit bears. y

16. In an overshoe of the class described, a flexible tread portion andsecuring means comprising a. tension member extending diagonally overthe toe and rigid bent levers flexibly connectedy to the tread at theirends and connected to the toe member at points intermediate their ends.

17. An overshoe comprising a flexible tread, flexible tread connectionsat a plurality of points along the outer wall of the hoof, a rigidspreader independenty of the tread for spacing adjacent treadconnections, and means for applying upward and forward tension'to thespreader.-

.18. In an overshoe of the class described, securing means incombination with a flexible tread portion, provided with relativelymovable members adapted to serve as .calks and stiffening membersadapted to spread said tread and maintain proper spacing of therelatively movable members and to distribute tension therefrom about thehoof.

19. In an overshoe of the class described, securing means in combinationwith a flexible tread portion, provided with relatively movable membersadaptedt serve as calks and stiflening members arranged to spread saidtread longitudinally ,of the hoof, and thereby maintain properlongitudinal spacing of the relatively movable members.

20. In an overshoe of the class described, securing means in combinationwith a tread portion formed of loosely linked members and provided withstiffening members for spreading the tread longitudinally of the hoofand means for distributing tension 'therefrom about the hoof.

' 2l. In an overshoe of the class described,

securing means in combination with a flexible tread adapted to beapplied from side to side across the base of the hoof, andstidenlongitudinally of the hoof at points on either side of and freelyout of contact with the fro 2%. In treads for overshoes, a tensionmember spanning and extending beyond the frog of the foot, incombination with a plurality of strands or catenations composed ofmovably connected links connected to said tension member at pointsbeyond the frog and extending across the edges of the hoof.

23. In treads for overshoes, a plurality -of strands or catenations ofmovably connected links 'intervening the hoof and the ground andextending over the edges of the hoof, and a single link connecting saidstrands or catenations, `and wholly. across the frog of the foot.

24. In treads for overshoes, a plurality of spaced chains`diverging`from a common locus located centrally of the underside of thehoof, and extending over the edges thereof, and means connecting theconverging ends of the chains and holding them in relativelyspacedpositions freely away from the frog of the foot.

25. In overshoes, a tread comprising a plurality 0f strands orcatenations of movably connected links divergingfrom'a common linkhaving its edges disposed in a sub'- stantially horizontal plane A andextending extending wholly across the frog ofthe foot'and freely underthe same,fand means provided about the wall of. the hoof supportingthetread.

26. In overshoes, a tread comprising a plurality of movably connectedlinks intervening the hoof and the Ground and having their edgesdisposed in siilistantially vertical planes, and means preventing thelinks so disposed from bearing upon the Vfrog of thel foot.

27. In overshoes, a. flexible tread and a band provided about the wallof the hoof supporting the tread and comprising a heel portion, aseparate toe portiomand a tension member on either .side ofthehoof-connect;

ing said heel and toe .portions and having a longitudinally extendedbody-portion pro- .vided at either end with loops or eyes.

28. In overshoes, the combination with a flexible sole member, of a bandprovided about the wall of the hoof supporting the sole member andhaving a heel element disposed about the rearward portion of the hoof.and providedwith a pliablefcasing of relatively large diameter adaptedto prevent the heel element from working forwardbe-v d tween the hoofand the shoe. g

29. In overshoes, the combination with al A `tread comprising a'plurality of catenations of movably connected-links extending over thevedges of thehoof and upon either side.

ofthe wall thereof, of a band provided about the wall of thehoofcomprislng a heel portion, a separate adjustable toe portion, and alink on either side of the hoof connecting said heel, and 'toeportionsand engaging the 'terminal links provided bythetread on theelement of relatively. soft yielding substance enveloping thebody-'portion nient.

31. In overshoes, the combination with a tread having a spaced chainstructure eX-l tending kover the edges of the hoof and on eithersidethereof, of abandprovided about the wall of the hoof supportingthetreadand comprising a heel portion, a separate adjustable toe portion,and a link onjeither `side of thehoof connecting said heel and -toeportions and'attached to the tread, said link being provided with meansfor holding the several chains of the tread in spaced positionsrelatively to each other; 132. In overshoes, a fiexible tread comprisingaV peripheral portion of jointed members adapted, formed, and arrangedto serve as 'calks beneath the edges of the hoof,rnd

azcentral interconnecting fportion Aspanning thefrog of the foot,constructed and arranged to avoid injury tothe frog and to prevent saidperipheral portionfrom coming in contact with the frog.

33. In overshoes, a tread comprising a plurality of articulated strandsin combinai tion with a securing band extending from d the toe abouttheside walls and heel ofthe hoof, said tread being flexibly connectedto said band at a' plurality of "oints along the sides ofthe hoof and atsu stantially'xed distances along the length, of the band, and means foradjustably tightening the ends of saidband `at' the toe only.

34. In an overshoefor horses, a tread and member adapted to be seated inthe notches between the heels of the hoof and the projecting rear endsof the horse shoe, and connections whereby forward stress on said treadtakes effect on said heel member only. 35. In overshoes, a plurality ofarticulated strands extending from side vto sideV across the tread ofthe. hoof, -in combination witha band extending -aboutfthe walls andheel -a toe member, in combination with a heel of thev hoof andsupporting the said strands atv a plurality of points along 'the sidesofv the hoof, and adjustable tightening means for said band passing over'the toe forwardl of the foremost connection of said Aband to thearticulated strands.

strands or catenations composed of movably connected links extendingfrom points freely beyond th'efrog of the footl over the edges 'of thehoof, 'and a common link connecting said strands or c'atenations.

'36. In treads for overshoes, a plurality of l loo 37. In lsecuringmeans for over'shoes, a,.

4tension member of relatively heavy non-resilient, flexible wire. ywitha heavy, fibrous covering, said Wire and covering being adapted in use.to'become: shaped to the configuration of the surface upon which itbears.` 38. In an overshoe for horses, the combination with the tread,horizontally disposed double looped side members lon each side havingboth loops connected to the tread,

'means connecting the rear portions of the side pieces, and meansconnecting, the front loops thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing vas my invention I have hereuntosigned 'my' d name in the presence of two subscribing wit-- nesses.

' GEORGE N. `KINNELL.

- Witnesses:

.ALEXANDER G. UP'rEGRAFF,

WILLIAM E. BAGG.

